Velá de Triana en Sevilla
Triana, the sailor’s quarter and the Sevilla district with the most traditional flavour on the far side of the river, has its most important week during the Local Fair of Santiago and Santa Ana, the Festival of its patron saints (25 and 26 July). During these days, the locals demonstrate that this is a city which is to be enjoyed in the street, in this case in Calle Betis, which is filled with stalls where you can try some of the most traditional local dishes: grilled sardines, frid fish, prawns and crab’s claws served in greaseproof paper, along with the characteristic green almonds and a whole assortment of sweets in the various stalls. There are also performances and activities which even take place on the Guadalquivir river itself (such as the ‘cucaña’, or greasy pole competition).
This festive event ives you the opportunity to discover another side of Sevilla, the popular and traditional feeling which can be found on the other side of the river. From Plaza del Altozano, site of the Castle of San Jorge, you can follow its various aspects which give Triana its distinctive character: tapas, flamenco, bullfighting, and ceramic, pottery and iron handicrafts. Returning to Calle Betis, you can see the most famous view of Sevilla: the Paseo de Colon with the silhouette of the Maestranza Bullring, the Golden Tower and the Giralda.
During your summer stroll in the happy streets of Triana, take the time out to visit sights such as the Church of Santa Ana, the popular “cathedral” for the quarter and the first new church built by order of Alfonso X following the healing of an illness which affected his eyes; the Alleyway of the Inquisition, silent testimony to the presence of this institution; and the open-air terraces of its various bars, where you can try some prawns washed down with a glass of Manzanilla wine.
Triana is worth a visit any time of the year, whether during the solemnity of its Holy Week or the boisterous pilgrimage to El Rocio, and equally so during the so-called “outstanding days” of the district in July, the time of the local fair which has its origins in the 13th century. Without a doubt, Triana is a quarter with a unique identity.